Pc recording preamp suggestions
Discussion
I've been using a cheap little GainBrain 2 preamp for a while and getting good results.I would like some suggestions for a new preamp,one that will be good quality and with a budget of about £200-£300.It has to take mics and more importantly be good for bass and lead guitar,i'll just be plugging guitar lead straight into it then into my soundcard,thanks!
A quick bit of google reveals this;
http://www.tweakheadz.com/microphone_preamps.htm
Funnily enough, I've often thought about having a go at making a USB/Firewire external mixer ADC for the PC/Mac.
No external details, just a box. Mixer controlled on the PC, and a decent 20bit+ ADC in the box. Never got around to it though.
http://www.tweakheadz.com/microphone_preamps.htm
Funnily enough, I've often thought about having a go at making a USB/Firewire external mixer ADC for the PC/Mac.
No external details, just a box. Mixer controlled on the PC, and a decent 20bit+ ADC in the box. Never got around to it though.
Edited by dilbert on Tuesday 24th November 19:24
Perhaps, although I don't think so.
Most sound card ADC's are as good as the DAC of a CD player, so it should be O.K., but in the limit, if the ADC is better than the CD player, you'll be able to produce essentially noise free CD's.
Another problem with the sound card is the fact that it's contained in the PC, and is subject to all of the noise of the PC. It's not bad, but it could easily be better. Then there's the horrible little 3.5mm jack. Good signals need decent connectors.
There is no reason why the digitised sounds cannot be processed to perfection in the PC though.
I know form my own meagre attempts at making music, it's what I would want. I know though that it would be expensive to do. There is probably something out there which already does this. I imagine that most pro studio setups look much like what I've described, but perhaps bigger say 80 tracks or something.
I'd only ever need four!!
I've also thought about the possibility of making an analogue synthesiser "a la moog", but with a MIDI input on the firewire, and then digitising it for USB/Firewire. You could use a standard MIDI master on the computer, and get really nice sounds predigitised for the computer.
Certainly the synthesiser on my own sound card sounds like crap!
Most sound card ADC's are as good as the DAC of a CD player, so it should be O.K., but in the limit, if the ADC is better than the CD player, you'll be able to produce essentially noise free CD's.
Another problem with the sound card is the fact that it's contained in the PC, and is subject to all of the noise of the PC. It's not bad, but it could easily be better. Then there's the horrible little 3.5mm jack. Good signals need decent connectors.
There is no reason why the digitised sounds cannot be processed to perfection in the PC though.
I know form my own meagre attempts at making music, it's what I would want. I know though that it would be expensive to do. There is probably something out there which already does this. I imagine that most pro studio setups look much like what I've described, but perhaps bigger say 80 tracks or something.
I'd only ever need four!!
I've also thought about the possibility of making an analogue synthesiser "a la moog", but with a MIDI input on the firewire, and then digitising it for USB/Firewire. You could use a standard MIDI master on the computer, and get really nice sounds predigitised for the computer.
Certainly the synthesiser on my own sound card sounds like crap!
Edited by dilbert on Tuesday 24th November 21:11
Hey Rumple - hope you are well. Like you, i used a Gainbrain for a few years (as per your helpful recommendations i believe). However, it gave up the ghost a while back, so i got one of these which more than does the trick for me. Not quite in teh price bracket you were looking at, but worht looking at and you may save yourself some ££££ for something else, perhaps put it towards a guitar or something
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/71614
Had some good results using this contraption, as can be seen here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSK_dvnZ61U
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/71614
Had some good results using this contraption, as can be seen here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSK_dvnZ61U
Well that last link woke me up first thing on a Sunday morning!;)I'll give that preamp a try.I just budgeted for £200-300 thinking you might have to spend that much to get a real difference from my last one.Looks a good little unit,thanks mate!
P.S For the record my Gain Brain gave up the ghost too!You'll know not to listen to me again!Well to be fair the couple of times i stood on it in the middle of an enthusiatic solo wouldn't help.
P.S For the record my Gain Brain gave up the ghost too!You'll know not to listen to me again!Well to be fair the couple of times i stood on it in the middle of an enthusiatic solo wouldn't help.
I recently organised a studio re-fit for a local youth group and used two of these, with an Imac. Was the best cost/quality/solution for 16 channels of live audio via firewire. thet do smaller and usb versions
http://www.focusrite.com/products/saffire/saffire_...
http://www.focusrite.com/products/saffire/saffire_...
chevy-stu said:
I recently organised a studio re-fit for a local youth group and used two of these, with an Imac. Was the best cost/quality/solution for 16 channels of live audio via firewire. thet do smaller and usb versions
http://www.focusrite.com/products/saffire/saffire_...
Nice!http://www.focusrite.com/products/saffire/saffire_...
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